GIANT OCEAN WIND FROM NORWAY

Norwegian Company Designs Giant 10MW Wind Turbine
Tiffany Kaiser, August 9, 2010 (Daily Tech)

"A majority of the wind farms in the United States use 2.5 megawatt wind turbines, and recent technology has introduced even larger turbines at 5 megawatts. Europe…is racing ahead…with the largest wind turbine yet - 10 megawatts…And it may [change] the way wind turbines are designed…

"…[B]uilding larger wind turbines…[avoids] environmental issues…[because there are fewer] environmental problems the [deeper the water and the] further offshore the turbines are located…[Also, in deeper water the turbines can be larger and the]…cost per megawatt decreases as the size of the wind turbine increases, which is a helpful advantage when building a wind turbine that is equivalent to a 30 story building in size."

From yolatengo29000 via YouTube

"…[A] 533 foot tall wind turbine was designed by Sway, a Norwegian turbine developer…[It] will have 476 foot long blades. Sway has been working on the design since 2004…[and now] is partnering with Norwegian state utility Enova and UK-based Clipper Marine…The [Sway 10 megawatt] turbine…dwarfs the 2.5…[and] 5 megawatt turbines being used now…[and] requires a whole new offshore wind design.

"The new design does not attach the wind turbine to the sea floor…[The 10 megawatt turbine] will be lightweight enough to "sway" around a fixed base and float in the ocean. It also has the ability to swivel on this base to produce energy when the direction of the wind changes…"

Vimeo.

"[T]o answer [the question of durability], developers will use a [5 megawatt] turbine to test the fixed base design…If the test proves that this new system will work…[it] could be a new beginning for offshore wind energy…These systems would be far enough off shore to…[go unnoticed] from land [and] send electricity to land through cable lines at the sea floor, just like internet cables.

"…Sway, Clipper Marine and Enova are on their way with this development…British company Wind Power Limited has [reportedly] recently exposed the details its new 10 megawatt offshore wind generator, called Aerogenerator X. This unit is expected to reach completion by 2013 or 2014…"